Gandhi on solar energy

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. (Gandhi)   First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. We’ve seen and published many dramatic graphs about the fall in solar, such as this one tracing the fall over the […]

Land Optimization Helps World’s Population

Smog and pollution is a huge problem in modern environments. The rich world is better off than most considering the legal restrictions on pollutants, but there are plenty of problems in other parts of the world (such as Asia). Many of these problems stem from poor use of land and it can have drastic effects […]

Imminent peak oil could burst US, global economic bubble

A new multi-disciplinary study led by the University of Maryland calls for immediate action by government, private and commercial sectors to reduce vulnerability to the imminent threat of global peak oil, which could put the entire US economy and other major industrial economies at risk. The peer-reviewed study contradicts the recent claims within the oil […]

Tech Talk – is coal that dirty?

So when was the last time, reading an article about the coal industry, that you saw a photograph of the land after the mine has closed, and the site reclaimed? Or, in talking about an oil or gas rig, how many times do you see the relatively small footprint at the site, once the rigs […]

When resources run out — averting the apocalypse

In 1944, the United States Coast Guard released a herd of reindeer on St. Matthew Island off the coast of Alaska so top naval personnel could hunt them for recreation. The reindeer population grew exponentially. From the 29 creatures initially released during World War II, the island’s reindeer population reached 6,000 by 1963. By that […]

10 warnings: Big Oil stocks crash 50% by 2020

Yes, we see 10 early warnings that Big Oil stocks are going to trigger an economic collapse by 2020, maybe 50% as gas prices go through your SUV’s sunroof. A contrarian view? Yes, pump prices already shot up 11% this year. Plus Big Oil cherishes its new role as exporter: Bloomberg’s even predicting the U.S. […]

Why Degrowth?

Human and ecological economist Bill Rees recorded in April at the Vancouver Degrowth Event on why degrowth is the only realistic path to sustainability. Watch the Q&A for this event

Russia China natural gas contract looks likely

Pricing remains an issue, but negotiations expected to be completed soon Russia and China are highly likely to nail down a natural gas deal during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Beijing in May after years of negotiations, experts from both sides said on Tuesday. Sergey Pikin, director of Russia’s Energy Development Fund, was optimistic […]

Peak Oil becomes an Issue Again after the IEA Revises its Predictions

“Among the big energy stories of 2013, “peak oil” — the once-popular notion that worldwide oil production would soon reach a maximum level and begin an irreversible decline — was thoroughly discredited. The explosive development of shale oil and other unconventional fuels in the United States helped put it in its grave. As the year […]

EIA’s International Energy Statistics Updated

The EIA has finally updated their International Energy Statistics. They were a month behind so they caught up by updating two months of data. The last update had data through October. This update has the data through December 2013. They also updated their annual data page. If you click on the link, then mouse over […]

Shale Shock Therapy

As the U.S. continues to extol the virtues of its shale gas revolution, peak oil theorists must be cringing to see their staunchest Malthusian beliefs demolished: the world may not run out of oil after all. But beyond the prospect of energy security, tight oil might have a much broader impact and added benefits to […]

Biomass: The World’s Biggest Provider Of Renewable Energy

If I asked you to think of renewable energy what comes to mind? I imagine it is skyscraper-sized wind turbines, solar panels on suburban roofs or massive hydro-electric dams. You probably do not think of burning wood or converting crops to liquid fuel to be used in cars. Yet throughout the world bio-energy remains the […]

Eight Energy Myths Explained

Republicans, Democrats, and environmentalists all have favorite energy myths. Even Peak Oil believers have favorite energy myths. The following are a few common mis-beliefs,  coming from a variety of energy perspectives. I will start with a recent myth, and then discuss some longer-standing ones. Myth 1. The fact that oil producers are talking about wanting […]

Total SA: Peak Oil Is Catching up to Big Oil

With 2013 in the rearview mirror, peak oil is beginning to create big problems for big oil. Free cash flow is like the canary in the coal mine. Earnings can be massaged with accounting magic, but it is more difficult to massage free cash flow. Total (NYSE: TOT), along with its fellow big oil brethren, […]

US Navy Makes Gas from Seawater

Age-old myths and fantasies about turning stuff that was worthless into gold. Alchemists leaning over their cauldrons of bubbling brew in the dark recesses of the dungeon of some mythical castle somewhere unknown to mankind. Well, perhaps not so unknown and not so fantastical. Today, the US Navy has succeeded in transforming sea water into […]

Natural Gas Vehicles – It’S The Old Problem Of Chicken And Egg

For those of us who follow these things, the glut of articles regarding natural gas as a better alternative for commercial vehicles continues to come at a fast and furious rate.  But, there is a chicken and egg thing here.  You need the infrastructure to retail the fuel before you will see vehicles, but you […]

Is population growth really a bad thing?

The debate around population growth and its risks has raged for over two centuries. Economist Thomas Malthus was the first to predict that rapid population growth during the Industrial Revolution would bring starvation and death to his native England due to dwindling food resources. History proved him wrong, but Malthus’ argument is still very much […]

Peak Oil: Energy Supply Nonsense 2

This is the second half of my observations about a recent addition to the endless parade of hide-most-of-the-facts nonsense from oil industry cheerleaders. The first part is here. The subject matter is an article * published a few weeks ago by Gene Epstein, entitled “Here Comes $75 Oil” in Barron’s. This one was a gold […]

Exxon Finds Tapping Device On UK Oil Pipeline

Exxon Mobil said it found a tapping device on a UK oil products pipeline following reports that a stash of diesel had been discovered that police said had been siphoned off by thieves. “The Esso Midline pipeline is secure and there has been no leak of product,” Exxon, known as Esso in the UK, said […]

Peak Oil, Sustainability and the Transition to a Post-Carbon Economy in the Republic of Ireland

In the context of the uncertainties that exist in the global energy market, this paper aims to expose the practical and theoretical inadequacies of the R.O.I government in dealing with the social and economic threats associated with the advent of peak oil. Drawing on the literature on peak oil and the statistical data related to […]

Crossing Over the Rubicon: R.I.P. Michael C. Ruppert

Sunday, April 13, after finishing what would be his last, The Lifeboat Hour, radio show, whistle-blower, activist, author, American hero, Michael C. Ruppert, allegedly shot himself, taking his own life. Getting the News A close friend and colleague, Carolyn Baker, Ph. D., posted a notice on her FaceBook wall informing Ruppert’s friends, fans and followers of his death, assuring […]

NTSB head: Oil tanker rail ‘safety has been compromised’

The recent spate of accidents in the U.S. and Canada involving trains carrying crude oil demonstrates that “far too often, safety has been compromised,” the head of the top U.S. transportation safety agency said today. The amount of crude oil transported on railroads — shipments that frequently pass through the Chicago area — has more […]

Be Thankful On Earth Day For Oil & Gas

Today is Earth Day, the annual celebration of Mother Earth and all she provides to us. So I just wanted to spend a few moments and words here urging you all to take time out of your busy days to thank Mother Earth for the following: Thank Mother Earth for giving us the natural gas that […]

Most Americans don’t know where their oil comes from

You can hardly blame Americans for believing that the vast majority of our oil imports come from the Middle East. Ever since the 1973 oil crisis, when Middle Eastern countries refused to sell oil to the United States as punishment for backing Israel in that year’s Arab-Israeli war, the American political conversation has dominated by […]

‘Saudi America’: Mirage?

At a time when Russia is saber-rattling and the Middle East is in turmoil, a welcome geopolitical trifecta could be in the making. The United States is poised to surpass Saudi Arabia and Russia as the world’s top oil producer. Canada’s oil sands have vaulted the country to energy superpower status. Mexico is embarking on […]

The Peak Oil Concernist Dilemma

Here’s where my head is at. Life’s nice at the top of the mountain. For now. I started this blog because I wanted to give myself extra motivation to act. My family does truly feel that we’re nearing a breaking point for modern society. At the same time, we have 2 small children, own a […]

Food shortage could occur within 40 years

Less than 40 years. That’s all the time available to try to find a way to avoid the looming crisis of a food shortage that will have serious implications for people and governments. “For the first time in human history, food production will be limited on a global scale by the availability of land, water […]

Is The US Military Preparing For The Collapse Of The Dollar?

It almost happened in 2008… but as this excerpt from Casey Research’s Meltdown America documentary notes, it appears the US military is preparing for the potential collapse of the US dollar. As Scott Taylor warns, “…if the carrot (of credit worthiness) is fading, and the stick (of military threat) is weak, that empire is going […]

Peak Oil is Here

Discussions I’ve seen of peak oil focus upon it as an issue in geology: how many years until production begins to decline [name your fossil fuel]. As an economist, however, that’s irrelevant, reflecting a misperception that underlies the 1980 Simon – Ehrlich bet. In an economy, there are many margins of adjustment. As a starting […]

Oman Fights Saudi Bid for Gulf Hegemony With Iran Pipeline Plan

Oman’s plan to build a $1 billion natural-gas pipeline from Iran is the latest sign that Saudi Arabia is failing to bind its smaller Gulf neighbors into a tighter bloc united in hostility to the Islamic Republic. The accord was signed during Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s visit to Oman last month, and marks the first […]

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